Hollow Ground â€“ Cold Reality (CD)

The rough opening that â€œCold Realityâ€ has is not a result by any lack of maturity or talent on Hollow Groundâ€™s part, but rather a desire to keep step for step with established bands like Hatebreed. The screamed-out vocals that first assault listeners during songs like â€œIll Fateâ€ are in the vein of the tough-guy hardcore that dominated the scene in the mid nineties; the guitar work points to a much cleaner style that is common with bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and Norma Jean.

The two styles do not also work perfectly together, but this is not needed as the combined forces just level listeners. No finesse is really needed when the bandâ€™s only goal is to be the hardest and most intense entity out on the arket. There are a very interesting developments in Hollow Groundâ€™s style at points; the instrumental interludes that take place during the title track, coupled with the staged arrangements during the song will keep individuals dialed into Hollow Groundâ€™s sound for much longer. The style of music that Hollow Ground plays is not anything completely new, but the band does the style well enough to keep individuals interested and the bandâ€™s style from seeming too hackneyed. What is perhaps the most interesting thing about Hollow Ground is that during every track of â€œCold Realityâ€, the band ends their music at about the two minute mark. The repetition that the band uses to tattoo their style onto listenerâ€™s heart is so present that a song like â€œFinal Wordsâ€ is only one minute and fifty-seven second but it feels as if the song reaches into the four minute side of things.

Overall, â€œCold Realityâ€ is a solid EP that shows Hollow Ground as a band that possesses a specific style and the tools that they need to properly show that style to all individuals that listen in. The band could increase their stock to listeners by adding some more bells and whistle into the mix, but overall â€œCold Realityâ€ is a fun metalcore disc, one that brings the hurt and pain from the opening of â€œIll Fateâ€ all the way to the closing strains of â€œOn The Lineâ€. The presence of an earlier metal style (early nineties Megadeth type of sound) during â€œLeft Blindâ€ shows that the band could change things up without losing their distinct style, so hereâ€™s to hoping an LP enjoys more variation.